Track and roller game



May 12, 1959 W-. R. IRWIN TRACK AND ROLLER GAME Filed Sept. 13. 1954 INVENTOR. WILLIAM R. IRWIN %KQW ATTORNEY United States Patent TRACK AND ROLLER GAME William R. Irwin, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Application September 13, 1954, Serial No. 455,533

7 Claims. (Cl. 273-409) This invention relates to a skill-toy game and its main ,"object is to provide an inexpensive source of amusement for children and adults.

'by each.

Another object of the invention is to provide game-toy pieces formed of plastic, wire, wood, or other suitable material and shaped in such a manner that they are adaptable to having placed thereon other game-toy pieces shaped and made into balanced and unbalanced wheels, discs, ovals, eccentrics, capsules and the like, which are capable of being maintained on a first said game-toy piece in a state of equipoise, whether moving, or still, or spinning in place.

In accordance with the invention I so make and shape a selection of parts that they may be used, one with another, for' the above described purposes.

Further, the various components of the skill-toy game are so formed and arranged that additional elements may be introduced that are compatible with and useful to combine with the original parts of the toy. These later added parts are of course, subject to the terms of the appended claims.

' In this respect, embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings which are capable of being used in combinations, but I am aware that there may be many variations thereof and I do not desire, therefore, to be limited to the particular forms shown, but rather, contemplate all variations coming within the terms of the appended claims.

The invention will be better understood by having reference to the drawings in which: Figs. 1 to 4 are perspective views showing a variety of rolling and balancing devices for use in the skill-toy game. Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing a toy-piece hereinafter to be called a game-stick or a toy-stick, for use with the devices as shown in Figs. 1 to 4.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the gamestick illustrated in Fig. 5 with the rolling device of Fig. I placed thereon in position for play.

" Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the gamestick of Figs. 5 and 6 with the rolling devices of Figs. 1 and 2 shown in different playing positions thereon.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of the gamestick of Figs. 5 and 6 with the rolling device of Fig. 4 shown being maneuvered thereon.

Fig. 9 is an illustration of an unbalanced capsule shaped or elongated ovate roller.

Fig. 10 shows the capsule shaped roller of Fig. 9 with shafts inserted into the threaded side bosses.

Fig. 11 shows the capsule with the shafts inserted into Patented May 12, 1959 1 ice the capsules end recesses, said capsule being balanced on a portion of the game-stick.

Fig. 12 is a plan view of a cylinder type axle with one roller attached, the other roller being omitted for the sake of illustration. This rolling device permits the roller to turn independently of each other and of the cylinder-axle. The ends of the axle have flange means for retaining said rollers in place and each axle end is drilled and threaded for the reception of a shaft.

Fig. 13 is a plan view of a shafted spherical rolling device.

Before discussing the drawings in detail a statement of the purposes of the game is in order so that the invention may be more fully understood.

The skill-toy game has for its object the maintenance of a disc or other device capable of being kept in a state of balance or equilibrium on a game-stick such as have been previously mentioned, said game-stick being in the hands of and worked by the player to cause said disc or other rolling device to describe various rotations and spinnings in different directions and at varying speeds and further, to cause said disc or other rolling device to change direction rapidly by means of subtle hand and wrist movements applied to the game-stick. Likewise it is possible to impart backspin to the disc or other rolling device and cause the device to roll up the scroll-like curves of the game-stick and spin rapidly in place, and, in the case of shafted rolling devices, to enter into and spin in place within the opposed involute hooks of the cusp-like prongs of said scroll-like curves, or even to leave said cusp-like prongs and the game-stick itself and spin in the air to later return spinning upon some portion of the game-stick.

Of course it is necessary for the obtainment of satisfactory results that the surfaces of the various game pieces that come into contact with each other should be of a finished texture that provides for the desired effect.

Referring again to the drawings:

The device of Fig. 1 is a circumferentially grooved disc with a centrically drilled hole 40 which is threaded for the reception of externally threaded shafts. The device of Fig. l is designed to be placed in and maneuvered in the groove 43 and the channel 46 of the game-stick of Fig. 5.

The device of Fig. 2 is a disc with eccentrically and centrically placed threaded holes 41 and 40 respectively which are threaded so that the shafts may be screwed into either set of holes as desired by the player. The eccentrically placed holes are provided to give additional variety in the play with the skill-toy to those players who prove more adept than the average. It should be understood that the use of the said shafts with the said holes is optional with the player and also, whether he will use one or both shafts. L

Fig. 3 illustrates a cylinder-like rolling device with a centrically placed, threaded hole for the reception of the shafts. This device is suited for use on the gamestick illustrated in Fig. 5, and is adapted for use on gamesticks without guide grooves or guide tracks.

Fig. 4 illustrates a rolling device having spaced discs operable on the game stick in the manner shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the irregularly shaped game-piece hereinbefore referred to as a game-stick. It shows an orbicular type curve 42 and the cusp-like prongs 45 of the said game-stick which are adapted to receive the shafts of any of the illustrated rolling or turning devices. In this respect, it should 'be obvious that the various rolling devices or turning devices could be formed with shaft or shafts integral with the devices, such as by a molding process; pressing a shaft or shafts into the devices; or the like.

. in position thereon.

Fig. 6 shows the device illustrated in Fig. 1 rolling in the groove 43 of the game-stick. The channel 46 is shown and the aforementioned orbicular type curve 42 of the game-stick is further illustrated.

In Fig. 7 the game-stick illustrated in Figs. and.6 is

' shown in a fragmentary perspective view. Indicated are,

the groove 43, the channel 46, the scroll-like curves 47, and the books of the cusp-like prongs-45. The rolling devices of Figs. 1 and 2 are'shown in various positions on the game-stick.

Fig.- 8 is another fragmentary perspective view of the game-stick of Fig. 5 with the device of Fig. 4 shown The channel 46, the cusp-like prongs 4S, and a tenon-like groove filling section 44, are indicated. The filling section 44 is an inverted T-shaped insert strip which slides into the correspondingly shaped groove 43 in the linear central portion of the stick so as to provide a guide rail projecting above the rails of the stick, when it is desired to employ the spaced flanged type of rolling device shown mounted on the stick in this Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 shows an unbalanced, weighted capsule for use with the game-stick of Fig. 5. The threaded recesses '48 in the capsules extremities, the threaded bosses 49 formed on the capsules sides, one boss being formed diametrically opposite the other, and the shot 50, acting to unbalance the capsule, are indicated.

Fig. 10 shows the capsule with shafts inserted into the threaded side bosses of the capsule.

The action of the capsule on the game-stick illustrated in Fig. 5 is predicated on whether the provided shafts are used with the capsule, and, if they are used, whether the said shafts are inserted into the end recess holes or the side boss holes of the capsule.

Using a grooved game-stick the capsule has an eccentric action due to the weight 50 placed inside it as it is turned end over end, the groove of the game-stick'helping to maintain the capsule on said game-stick, the mentioned shafts not being used in the capsule. A gamestick without a groove may also be utilized with the capsule, but said game-stick will have a tendency to allow the capsule to fall off, thus requiring more skill from the player to maintain the capsule on the gamestick.

' Using the shafts with the capsule makes it adaptable to be spun or backspun between the scroll-like curves of the game-stick illustrated in Fig. 5, the shafts of the capsule entering into and being supported by the involute hooks of the cusp-like prongs 45. The spinning, backspinning and like action that the capsule may be caused to perform by a skilled player, is of course, further varied by the eccentric action given to the capsule by the weight 50 placed within it.

An action of the capsule on a mentioned game-stick is illustrated in Fig. 11. It shows the capsule with shafts inserted into the capsules end recesses, the shafts being able to enter into the deepened channel 46 of the gamestick.

Fig. 12 is a plan view of a rolling device comprised of' rollers and a cylinder-like axle, one roller being omitted in the drawing to show the reduced portion of the cylinder-like axle which acts as a bearing surface for a roller, allowing one roller to turn independently of 4 the other and of the cylinder-axle. Flange means 51 keeps each roller in place. The cylinder-axle has holes bored and tapped at each end for the reception of shafts.

Fig. 13 illustrates a spherical type device with shafts inserted therein, for use with the game-stick of Fig. 5.

.Having thus described and illustrated my invention, I claim:

1. A toy comprising a game-stick having spaced rails forming parallel tracks and a rolling device having a central body receivable in part between said rails and outwardly disposed portions supported upon said tracks for rolling and spinning movement in accordance with manual manipulations of said stick, said stick having an elongated body portion and an upwardly and inwardly convoluted end portion terminating in an upturned end forming an arcuate pocket for said rolling device, said end being spaced from the adjacent convolution a distance suflicient to permit passage of said rolling device therebetween whereby said rolling device may be moved along said elongated body and convolute portions by a rolling movement and said arcuate pocket having a radius of curvature sufficiently small to enable said rolling device to be retained in a substantially fixed position therein while permiting spinning thereof by the momentum of said rolling'movement.

2. A toy as' defined in claim 1 in which said rolling device comprises a disk-shaped central body having a cylindrical shaft extending outwardly from each side thereof for engagement with said rails.

3. A toy as defined in claim 1 in which said rolling device comprises an ovate body having a shaft extending outwardly from each side thereof on one of the axes of said body, for engagement with said rails.

4. A toy as defined in claim 3 in which said ovate body is unevenly balanced about one of the axes of said body.

5. A toy as defined in claim 1 in which said rolling device comprises a plurality of interconnected spaced disks having a shaft extending outwardly from the outer face of each disk for engagement with said rails.

6. A toy as defined in claim 1 in which said rolling device comprises a spherical body having outwardly extending shafts for engagement with said rails.

7. A toy as defined in claim 1 in which. said rolling device comprises a disk shaped central body having both concentric and eccentric openings therethrough and said outwardly disposed portions comprise a pair of cylindrical shafts both of which are removable from and insertable in either of said openings so as to extend outwardly from each side of said body in axial alignment, for rolling engagement with said rails.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 441,405 Foster Nov. 25, 1890 507,667 Taylor Oct. 31, 1893 1,154,094 Cassard Sept. 21,- 1915 1,675,209 Brower June 26,. 1928 2,198,075 Borek Apr. 23, 1940 2,532,521 Stair Dec. 5, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 2,284 Great Britain 1889 468,757 Canada Oct. 17, 1950 

